DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – On Tuesday evening, the High Point University men's basketball team hit the floor on national television to take on Arkansas State in the semifinals of the College Basketball Invitational. Taking it down to the wire, HPU became the first team in Big South history to advance to the CBI Championships after taking the 81-80 victory over the Red Wolves.
Four Panthers tagged double digits as
Kezza Giffa led the way with 22 points.
Juslin Bodo Bodo was a big factor on the offensive and defensive ends of the court as he collected his sixth double-double of the season with 14 points and 16 rebounds. Adding to his defensive stats, he altered several shots in the paint and recorded a season-high six blocks.
Duke Miles reached a career milestone after dropping 16 points to earn his 1000
th career point. In this season alone he has scored 561 points.
"I am thrilled that we were able to get a stop on the last possession of the game, head coach
Alan Huss commented. "Postseason basketball is not always pretty, we were fortunate to survive and advance. We are looking forward to competing for the CBI championship tomorrow night."
Site: Ocean Center
Score: High Point 81, Arkansas State 80
Records: High Point (27-8, 13-3), Arkansas State (20-17, 11-7)
HPU opened the game with three straight buckets to take a 6-0 lead in the first minute and a half of play.
Giffa had a strong start to the game. Picking and choosing his moments, he attacked the gaps and knocked down shots which opened up other opportunities for his teammates. Two back-to-back dump offs to
Pavlo Dziuba gave the Panthers a seven-point lead at the 12:56 mark.
A-State answered and went on a 15-4 run to take a three-point lead mid-way through the first half.
From there the game remained close, exchanging the lead, and tying the game multiple times.
With a minute left in the first half, Giffa took over and scored three straight baskets to help High Point take a 46-39 lead going into the break.
The Panthers kept the momentum rolling into the second half and took off on a 14-point lead in the first nine minutes. A three from Miles and a jump shot from Bodo Bodo gave HPU the 14-point lead.
Up until the two-minute mark, the Panthers kept a steady eight-to-ten-point lead but within a two-minute span, the Red Wolves cut the game to a one point game with 13 seconds left on the clock.
Arkansas State had the last possession of the game after getting the ball across half court and calling timeout with seven seconds left on the clock. Solid defense from the Panthers'
Kimani Hamilton prevented the Red Wolves from scoring in the final seconds. A defensive rebound from Bodo Bodo granted High Point the one-point victory as the clock sounded.
Up Next:
High Point advances to the CBI Championships to take on Seattle University on Wednesday March 27 inside the Ocean Center. The game is set for 5:00 p.m. and will air on ESPN2.
#GoHPU
